Before coming to BC I completed my bachelors degree at SUNY Geneseo where I conducted research focused on better understanding the Pine Valley Mountain Laccolith in Southwestern Utah. This research utilized magnetic anisotropy and paleomagnetism data to understand the infill rate of the laccolith. Today my research aims to build on previous research concerning strain’s relationship to crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) in two parts: (1) by utilizing X-ray CT data analysis along with EBSD analysis to explore how strain affects CPO development in olivine from ultramafic peridotites from the Red Mountains, New Zealand, building on the findings of Chatzaras et al. (2016), and (2) by exploring the evolution of these relationships in plagioclase dominant lower crustal rocks exposed in central Australia by combining EBSD analysis and field-based estimates of finite strain to explore the controls of strain and strain magnitude on CPO texture type in plagioclase.

Why did you choose Boston College for your postgraduate work?

I chose BC for graduate school not only because of the location, but also for the friendly and inviting community the Earth and Environmental Science department fosters. The faculty and fellow graduate students are incredibly supportive and genuinely want to help you succeed.